Prodigal Daughter
by Angela
Summary: Sam meets another Bartlet


Title: Prodigal Daughter  
  
Author: Angela  
  
Rating:G  
  
Spoilers: None  
  
Category: General/ pre-show/ belated challenge entry  
  
Summary: Sam meets another Bartlet  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
He noticed the young woman, with long, reddish hair hovering a good distance away from the Bartlet family. She seemed hesitant as Governor Bartlet hugged his eldest daughter, and then his grandchild. Sam couldn't figure out who she was. But, he could tell that she was very uncomfortable. He walked over to her.  
  
"This is nice house. It's my first time here" he said.  
  
The woman almost jumped two feet into the air. The purse that she had been clutching like a security blanket fell from her grasp. Make-up and other items scattered all over. She opened her mouth, closed it, and bent down to pick them up. Sam did the same thing, and, typically when he was in a situation like that, immediately bumped heads with her.  
  
"Ow!" she said.  
  
"I'm sorry! You looked...I mean, I figured you didn't know anyone... I thought I'd come and.... Do you need to lie down?"  
  
The woman ducked her head. Her hair hid her face, so he couldn't see her expression. When she looked back up, she had a small grin on her face. "Are you a friend of the family?" she asked.  
  
"Um, not exactly. I work on Governor Bartlet's presidential campaign. I'm Sam Seaborn." He held out his hand for her to shake. Then he realized he had been resting it on a tube of her lipstick. And open tube. He picked up the lipstick and awkwardly held it out to her.  
  
She grinned even wider. "Hi, Sam. I'm Ellie." She looked like she was going to add something, but changed her mind. They gathered up her belongings, and she handed him a tissue to wipe the lipstick off his hand. They stood up.  
  
"What about you? Are you a friend of the family?" he asked.  
  
"Not exactly." Again, the sense that she had started to say something. He figured she must be someone's date.  
  
"Well, this is a nice house," he repeated. *Stupid* "I'm usually more articulate than this. I just get flummoxed right after grand displays of my clumsiness."  
  
"Flummoxed?" Now she laughed. It wasn't a derisive kind, though. More of a delighted kind. "I don't think I've ever heard anyone use that word in conversation before. What do you do for my-for the governor."  
  
"When I'm not tripping over something? Mostly grunt work, although I help strategize, and I work with Toby Ziegler-the one with the permanent scowl on his face-on speeches. That's my main duty."  
  
"Well, you have a way with words, I'll give you that." The look she gave him was almost mischievous.  
  
"And what do you do?" he asked.  
  
"I'm in medical school," she said. She ran her fingers through her hair, self consciously.  
  
"Like Mrs. Bartlet," he commented. That seemed to be the right thing to say, because the smile was back.  
  
"Yeah. Sam, what do you think of Governor Bartlet?"  
  
Sam blinked "He's dynamic. He really believes in what he's saying." He felt like he was reciting a planned PR speech. Her gaze never wavered from his. "Of course, he can be a little, off putting. To put it mildly." Arrogant pain in the ass was his assessment to Josh the first day. His last, expect he didn't have any place else to go to, and he didn't want to seem like he couldn't hack it. He still felt guilty, confiding even that much to a stranger. "But, don't get me wrong. I've never met a man so...." He held his hands out to the side, trying to illustrate the grandness that he felt words couldn't express. Ellie looked thoughtful and nodded. She understood.  
  
They stood there in companionable silence for a few minutes, when he saw Mrs. Bartlet headed towards them. "Hello, ma'am." In some ways, she intimidated him more than the governor. He turned to introduce Ellie, and was shocked when Mrs. Bartlet pulled her into a hug. She wasn't usually so demonstrative unless it was close family.  
  
"So, the prodigal daughter shows up. How long have you been here?" *Daughter?*  
  
"Hi, Mom," Ellie whispered, returning the hug with enthusiasm. *Mom?* "I was just talking to Sam."  
  
Mrs. Bartlet smiled, and sent an appraising glance at Sam. "He's cute, isn't he? But, come say hello to your dad and Zoey and Liz. I'm sure Annie is dying to see her aunt again. It's been forever."  
  
"In a second, Mom," Ellie said. Mrs. Bartlet nodded, with an admonition not to be too long, and not to get into any trouble. She looked at Sam, as she said it, but her smile told him she was joking.  
  
He waited until Mrs. Bartlet was out of earshot. "Your the governor's daughter? Why didn't you say so in the first place? And, I said he was off putting. Okay, this is bad." He dropped his head in his hands.  
  
"No, you're right. He is off putting. You sugar coated it some. Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I thought you knew, at first, and then it was nice that someone was trying to be friendly just because, not because I'm the daughter of the governor of New Hampshire, or the daughter of a presidential candidate. "  
  
"Yeah, I can see how that might be a problem. Zoey and Liz don't seem to mind too much."  
  
"Well I'm not Zoey or Liz," she said, flatly. *Okay, wrong comment* "Sorry. Sometimes I wish I was," she added softly.  
  
Before he could think of a reply, the governor came by. "I guess the mountain has to come to Mohammed," he said.  
  
Sam watched Ellie. Her reaction was completely different from when she had greeted Mrs. Bartlet. She played with her hair for a second, then snatched her hand away, like she had been reprimanded. "Daddy, I was going to come over in a second."  
  
"It's been seven minutes since you got here. Yes, I saw you." He had a kidding tone, but underneath it was a reproach that made Sam wince. He wondered if the unwanted fame wasn't the only the only problem Ellie had with her family. He felt like he was intruding, but wasn't sure how to exit without calling attention to himself. Governor Bartlet hugged Ellie, but it was a stiff hug. She also barely touched him, and they pulled apart a second later. "Come say hello to your sisters. You can talk with, um..." he trailed off.  
  
"Sam, Dad. His name is Sam."  
  
"Of course." He led Ellie away.  
  
Sam noticed how Governor Bartlet's hand rested near Ellie's back, but never touched it. He saw Ellie hug her sisters a little more warmly than she had hugged her father, but not nearly the way she had hugged her mother. She smiled when Annie shouted her name, and Sam smiled, too. He kept watching, even though Josh had walked by and accused him of checking out the Bartlet women. He ignored him.  
  
Ellie and the governor were talking, and, though he couldn't make out the words, he could tell it wasn't pleasant. She hung her head, then looked up quickly. He wondered if Governor Bartlet had made a comment about that. She said something else, then walked away.  
  
Sam hurried after her, again ignoring Josh's comments. He waited until he was in her line of vision before he spoke. No need to cause another accident. "Hey."  
  
"Sam." She played with her hair again.  
  
"You're wrong," he told her.  
  
"Wrong about what?" she asked. Her eyes glistened.  
  
"Wanting to be someone else. I've only just met her, but I think Ellie is a very nice person."  
  
Her face lit up. "Thanks. I think Sam's pretty nice, too."  
Authors note: Technically this is a response to an old challenge on the Sam Fanfic Archive to write the first meeting of Sam and another character. I looked over the challenges, trying to jump start my writing. 


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